North Italia Opens First Bay Area Location
The Italian restaurant chain North Italia is set to open its first location in the Bay Area on March 25th. The new restaurant will be in Walnut Creek. The brand is known for its scratch-made pasta and is making a significant expansion into the Northern California market.
The new Walnut Creek restaurant is part of a broader strategy by parent company The Cheesecake Factory, which acquired North Italia and its creator, Fox Restaurant Concepts, in a deal valued at over $300 million in 2019. The acquisition was designed to help The Cheesecake Factory diversify its portfolio with more "experiential" and trend-setting dining concepts. The Walnut Creek location at 1179 Locust Street is situated in the Plaza Escuela shopping center, taking over a retail space formerly occupied by Tilly's. This opening is a key part of the brand's significant push into the Northern California market and is part of a larger nationwide expansion. North Italia's growth has been accelerating, with new restaurants recently opened or soon opening in Brea, California; Omaha, Nebraska; and Greensboro, North Carolina. The company has stated plans to grow the North Italia brand by approximately 20% annually, signaling a continued aggressive expansion strategy across the U.S. The brand's culinary direction is overseen by figures like Director of Culinary and R&D, Chef Chris Curtiss, who focuses on developing the menu for the entire chain. While specific leadership for the Walnut Creek location has not been publicly announced, the company is actively hiring for management and culinary positions for the new restaurant. The parent company, Fox Restaurant Concepts, is led by its founder, Sam Fox, a ten-time James Beard Award semifinalist for Restaurateur of the Year.
